BEMIDJI, Minn. (John S. Glas Fieldhouse) - Bemidji State University goaltender Matt Climie (Sr., Leduc, Alberta) may have faced just 12 shots Saturday at the John Glas Fieldhouse, but a shutout is a shutout and Climie’s 12 saves helped the Beavers garner a 2-0 victory over University of Alabama-Huntsville to compete their first College Hockey America series sweep of the season. The blanking of the UAH also helped the senior solidify himself among some of the greatest to man the nets at Bemidji State as he surpassed both Jim Scanlon (1978-82) and Blane Comstock (1967-71) to sit alone atop the BSU career shutouts list with 10.

In a defensive battle with the always physical Chargers, BSU prevailed riding the strength of its goaltending and special teams units. BSU not only eliminated seven Charger power-play opportunities, the team also took advantage of its own chances up a man netting a power-play goal midway through the second period that would stand as the game-winner.

The selfless Beaver skaters did their share to keep UAH off the scoreboard in a tremendous defensive effort by BSU. The Beavers sacrificed their bodies to block 13 shot attempts and killed off all seven of the Chargers’ power-play opportunities, including a brief 3-of-5, holding them to just three shots on the man advantage. The 0-for-7 put up by the BSU penalty kill unit extends its streak to 10 periods since it last allowed a power-play marker dating back to the first game of the Niagara University series Nov. 30th.

Climie stretched his unbeaten streak four games with the victory recording those 12 saves in 59:54 of work. Now 3-0-1 over his last four starts, Climie improved to 7-2-2 on the year and is 6-1-2 with a 1.31 goals-against average and .942 save percentage against CHA foes. Climie is 9-3-2 in 14 career games versus UAH--a team he has shut out three times.

Climie posted the win but Blake MacNicol, who dropped to 1-4-1 on the year, made 36 saves in the setback while he allowed only the power-play goal in 59-:49 between the pipes.

An uneventful first period saw the Beavers move out to a 11-6 advantage on the shot board while the teams failed to score despite each having a pair of power-play opportunities.

BSU came out after the first intermission and began to turn up the intensity of the game out hustling the Chargers to loose pucks and backing UAH into its own zone for a good portion of the second period. BSU out shot the Chargers 15-3 in the stanza and at the 10:57 mark, one of those shots would find the back of the net to put BSU up 1-0. Junior Travis Winter (C, St. Cloud, Minn.) got the play started as he fired a shot from between the face off circles that bounced off the leg pad of MacNicol and onto the stick of Matt Francis (Jr., F, Surrey, British Columbia) just off the right post. Francis was unable to get a shot off, but passed across the net to Winter who pounded the shot home to extend his streak ofconsecutive games with a point to four games.

Later in the second period, Francis was again in the mix of things when he was hauled down in the act of shooting on a break away. The junior took made his best attempt at the rare penalty shot, but was unable to beat the Charger netminder.

BSU continued to dominate play in the third period out shooting the Chargers 12-3.

UAH would pull its goaltender during the final minute in an attempt to send the game to overtime, but Chris McKelvie (So., F, New Brighton, Minn.) took out an insurance policy on the win adding an empty-net goal with 46 second on the clock to put the Beavers ahead 2-0. Francis and Tyler Lahrke (So., F, Park Rapids, Minn.) were credited with assists on the play.

Continuing a trend in 2007-08, the Beavers out shot UAH 38-12. BSU has yet to be out shot in a contest this season holding a 507-360 (+147) advantage in shots on goal this season. Bemidji State was last out shot Feb. 3, 2007 (43-27) in a 3-1 victory over the Chargers in Huntsville, Ala.

The victory helps the Beavers to close the UAH advantage in the all-time series to 26-22-3 while the Beavers have dominated the series as of late posting a 10-1-2 record versus the Chargers since Mar. 3, 2006.

The win brings the Beavers to 8-6-2 overall and 6-2-2 in CHA play while Alabama-Huntsville falls to 2-9-1 with a 0-3-1 mark in the league. After five consecutive league series, the Beavers will take a break from CHA play host Minnesota State University Dec. 14-15 marking the continuation of a series that got its start in 1974. The puck is set to drop at 7:35 p.m. Friday and at 7:05 p.m. Saturday at the John S. Glas Fieldhouse.
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